Robin Banks
sophie meiers makes music to knock you off your feet while providing the soft landing at the same time. After recent singles "collar" and "let me breathe," bedroom pop with razor blades under the floor boards, they push even further into the emotional honesty and stark imagery on "things will change." The song is simple yet devastating, offering a direct line between them and a sibling going through substance abuse issues. It also provides a window into their own emotional state; you can't help but feel almost voyeuristic to hear them sing "now we’re back to square one, you hit rock bottom."
Ultimately, however, the song ends on a note of gentle hope. "You'll get better, things will change," sophie sings over gentle guitar chugs and a delicate electronic beat. As the song melts into a close, you hope the optimism isn't another false dawn.
In a statement, sophie says, “This song is really vulnerable and painful, but I hope that some beauty and healing can come out of the dark subject matter. This song is about watching someone you love turn into somebody you don't know anymore. It is a letter to one of my little brothers who has struggled with addiction for a long time. Incredibly complicated and very sensitive to me, because this is a letter from me now, to him now. With that said, I have thick skin, a trauma-acquired-sense of humor, and the strong feeling that if this message is important to me it is also important to a lot of other people. It is a uniquely heartbreaking experience to want to help somebody you love so badly, and feeling that knock-your-wind-out sickness in your stomach thinking about how completely powerless you are.
"Thematically, I'd say it is definitely centered around this powerless feeling, but at the same time, a feeling of acceptance. It's about fucking childhood together and being best friends and playing in forests and having to grow up. And watch each other change. There is still that note of hope, and extreme amounts of unconditional love, and I'm realizing that I just have to take things as they come. Our lives aren't the way they used to be and that's okay. We aren't the same people we used to be and that's okay. This is the new normal, and all I can do is give as much love and support as I can and trust that things will change.“
Next month, sophie will play their first live dates with shows scheduled at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles (May 2) and Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn (May 7).